MEMORIAL DAY 2011

I went back to my home town yesterday to visit my parents grave. It was a peaceful day and I felt really good about going for a change.

The headstone looked nice as well as the two flower arrangements on it. It was nice to remember.

While we were there I decided to try to find the grave of my friend who died in Viet Nam. I looked it up in the Sextant Record but couldn't read the tiny map in the record. I could read the section that it was in. SOOOO--I decided the easiest way to find it was to walk to the flags on the headstones until I got to the right one. Took about two minutes to find it.

It has been said that everyone in America suffered a personal loss in Viet Nam. I don't know if that is true but I do know that he was my personal loss and the personal loss to all of the friends I grew up with.

REST IN PEACE

COFFEE POT REHAB COMPLETE

Wood straw bales being moved to the deck for netting.

Netting the bales for flying out.

Ready to hook the net on the helicopter.

Helicopter coming in for a load.

Helicopter leaving with a full load.

Final results---something was wrong with my camera but this gives you an idea of what it looks like after the wood straw is spread by the helicopter. The date should be 5/25/2011. I don't know what happened to my camera but I reprogrammed it this morning and it is working OK now..

REHAB TOMORROW

I am going back to do the fire rehab on the Coffee Pot Fire tomorrow. Took about three weeks for them to get through all the BS associated with hiring me but guess they finally figured it out. I can't remember ever having to turn in copies of so many papers before I could go to work. Proof of drivers insurance, gov't drivers license, state drivers license, defensive driving.... What a joke that whole process was.

I am however looking forward to getting back and getting the job finished. Not sure I will ever agree to do another one of these but the work associated with this one has gone very well so far. I have also worked with some very good people that have been doing the work. It has been fun to work with and get to know them.

RETURN TO FIRE REHAB---MAYBE NOT

This past two weeks has been pretty frustrating. I am supposed to start the fire rehab next Monday. They have been trying to figure out how to hire me to do the contract inspections for the last few acres. They have taken me through many iterations and still don't have it resolved so maybe the contractor will start without an inspector---time will tell.

I have learned one thing from this project. I will never agree to do another one of these unless it can be completed within 90 days of the fire burning. That is the break point for emergency as defined in the emergency fire hiring book. I have been really tempted to just call back and tell them I'm not doing this anymore. I do feel somewhat obligated though because the contracting officer held on to this contract after moving to another job because he thought we would just finish it as easy as the first part and close it out.

I have no doubt it will be done as easy as the first part but it sure has been tough getting through the process---gave them copies of my driver's license, gov't. driver's license, vehicle insurance that insures me to drive any vehicle, and updated defensive driving card yesterday.

I AM PRETTY TIRED OF BEING TREATED LIKE I AM TRYING TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF SOMETHING

'TWAS A REALLY NICE DRIVE

These geese are enjoying the false lake from the flooding. The gaggle is growing daily.

This buffalo calf is brand new---he was barely dried off from his birth.

It is fun to have these things going on near us right now. The entire buffalo herd ought to calve in the next two weeks. Will be fun to watch the herd grow.

Usama Bin Laden is GONE

Last night around 8:30 Fox news indicated they were going to have a speech from the President shortly. Shortly turned out to be about 2 hours but he did finally get on and tell us that Bin Laden had been killed by a US ground attack. That makes it almost 10 years since the attack on the World Trade Center.

I really got a kick out of Girraldo Riveras while he was doing the initial commentary. He was talking about this and that as to why the President would be talking after 10:00 pm to the Nation and went through several scenarios. Then he got this great big grin on his face and said something to the order of---wouldn't it be great if he was going to announce that Usama Bin Laden had been killed---It would be a great day if that son-of-a-bitch was dead. He kept grinning and said to the others that were on line. If that is the case we will be dancing around here and high fiving and celebrating his death. Then he said this isn't any official news release and I'm not saying that is what is going to be announced. I am just saying it would be news worthy of a late night announcement.

I just sat there and grinned when he said that s-o-b. I am sure he doesn't know he said it on National TV. I remember when he was tracking Bin Laden all over the world and remember when they thought they had him when the bombed his camp site on the Pakistan/Afghanistan border. A miss by only a few hours. I remember how badly crushed Girraldo was.

I am glad this is over. Terrorism will not go away because of it but this hit will have psychological ramifications on the terrorist world for a long time to come and maybe, just maybe, slow it down.

Don't know whether to say SEMPER FI or HOO YAA and we will probably never know but which ever branch did it I say GOOD ON YA!!!